


Unexpected Visitors

by dianesmalone



Category: Cheers
Genre: Angst, F/M, Some Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-14
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2020-01-13 11:05:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18467674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dianesmalone/pseuds/dianesmalone
Summary: Sam and Diane are married. This is a little over a year into their marriage, Diane is about five months pregnant and though her bump is smaller than the normal it’s definitely noticeable. Their day together is going swell until an unexpected visitor shows up.





	Unexpected Visitors

Sam wakes up to the sound of his wife throwing up their dinner in the bathroom. It was around five in the morning which was just about the usual time she was awakened with morning sickness.

He slides out of bed, still exhausted. Nevertheless, he rubs his eyes and steps into the bathroom to be there for her. 

Sam gets down onto his knees and gently pulls her blonde locks from her face, holding them back as the vomiting continued.

His hand comes to her back and rubs it gently until she’s done. When she is, Diane pulls away from the toilet, flushes it, and wipes her mouth. 

A groan comes from her as she turns to her husband and doesn’t say anything as she buries her face against his chest. This sucked. 

Sam looks down at her as he puts his arms around her gently and presses a kiss to the top of her head. He hated that there wasn’t anything he could do for her to make this easier. Then again he didn’t want to be the one pregnant here. She really was his little soldier.

Diane lets out a sigh as she stays pressed against him, he was very warm so it felt nice to be in his embrace. Her back, her feet, her ankles, her stomach, and her head were all killing her. Oh the joys of motherhood. 

She was still nauseous too, however she was hoping that was the last of the vomiting. Diane wanted nothing more than to get back in bed with Sam and cuddle as close as she could with him and fall right back asleep. 

As excited and elated as she was to be a mother, this whole pregnancy thing was much more exhausting than she thought it would be. But, she was glad to do it. Diane was incredibly excited to meet their child. The child they created out of love. That warmed her heart every time she thought about it. 

After several minutes of sitting on the floor, Diane breaks herself out of his embrace. She pulls herself off the floor slowly but surely. Her hand rubs gently along her bump as she walks back to their bedroom. She was ready to melt into the mattress and never get up again. 

Sam was only steps behind her, his hand on her back rubbing it slowly again. “Are you alright?” He murmurs.

She shrugs and she nods, “I’ll be okay. Thank you Sam” she whispers. 

The blonde slowly slides into bed again and lets out a sigh of relief. The mattress hadn’t felt so good before. 

It wasn’t long before he joined her side again and put his arm around her. He brings her close and presses a kiss to her cheek. “I love you” he whispers. Sam tried to do everything he could everyday to tell her that and to make sure she was okay.

A smile comes to her lips and she hums quietly, “I love you too Sam. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight sweetheart” he whispers and brings her just a little closer.

With that, the couple drifts back off to sleep in a matter of seconds. Both absolutely exhausted. 

Diane walks into Cheers the next day and smiles as she sees the tall brunette she was blessed to call her husband working behind the bar. She was dressed in a pink sweater along with a brown striped skirt. 

The sweater didn’t outline her bump but it was definitely still noticeable, there was really no hiding it anymore and she didn’t care to. Everyone in the bar knew and there wasn’t anyone she needed to keep it from. 

Sam wasn’t paying any attention to anything else while he worked so she takes a seat at the bar and smiles as she watches him. He was so handsome. He was pretty much at Greek god status of attractiveness and everyday she wondered what a man so attractive was doing with someone like her.

“You’re cute when you work” Diane says as he moves closer to her end of the bar. 

Sam turns when he hears his wife’s voice and smiles wide. “Hey beautiful, I didn’t even see you come in” he replies. He then quickly finishes serving a drink to a customer and walks over to her. 

They greet one another with a kiss and he smiles, “how’re you doing sweetheart?”

Diane smiles a little, “much better than this morning. Though your little athlete with not stop kicking” she chuckles. 

Sam’s eyes light up, “really? Oh I’ve got to feel this” he says and hops over the bar to the right of her with ease. He was as tall as a tree, the bar was only a small obstacle for him to get over.

She smiles wider at that as he brings his hands gently to her belly. It takes a moment but the baby eventually kicks gently against his hand. Sam laughs and smiles wide as well, “look at that! My little boy is going to be an athlete!” Sam exclaims happily. 

Ever since he found out they were having a boy, Sam was set on making sure he learned how to play baseball as soon as possible. Diane wasn’t so sure about that, the thought scared her a little. She also didn’t care for the sport expect for the uniform that made her husbands butt look even better than it already did. 

However it did make her happy that he was so ecstatic already over finding a way to bond with their child. She couldn’t wait to watch him form a relationship with their son. She knew it was be a beautiful one. 

Diane takes his hand from her belly and squeezes it gently. “I know I just got here but is it alright if I go lay down in your office? I’ve been running around all morning and I’m exhausted” she admits.

Though Diane still insisted on working with him on owning the bar together while pregnant she took more breaks than usual. He handled mostly everything but she still did what she could be of help. After all, she wasn’t completely useless. Just more exhausted than usual. 

He nods and turns in the direction of the office, “let me walk you over there and help you get settled” Sam insists.

“You know I’m perfectly capable of handling it myself mister” she insists with a raised brow. 

The brunette nods, “I know I know but I just wanna help a little sweetheart. Besides, it’s important to me to be sure you’re okay” he explains.

That did warm her heart. Ever since her bump started to make itself known to them, Sam had become very protective of her. Even more so than he had been before. 

It definitely had its moments of being annoying but Diane truly did appreciate it. It made her feel that much safer and loved by him. It was cute too, the way he’d make sure no matter what that she and their unborn child were safe. 

“Alright alright but if it wasn’t for that cute face of yours I’d say no” she teases. 

Sam shakes his head and slides his arm around her waist. “Lucky for you I already have the couch all set up to nap on” he says as the two walk together to his office.

That brings a smile to her lips, he was such a sweetheart when he really wanted to be. 

Sam guides her into the office and brings her over to the couch. Before he lets her move from him and get settled however, he leans down and presses a kiss to her soft lips. Letting it carry out for more than just a second. Her hands instinctively come to his cheeks as it slowly drags on.

When the two break she smiles once again, “ah I see why you wanted to walk me in here. Very sneaky Mr. Malone” she remarks. 

He laughs, “can you blame me for wanting to steal a moment with my girl?” 

“Mm I guess not” she begins and then pushes at his chest, “now go on and get back to work. I’ll be up in an hour or so” she says and quickly pecks his lips before shoving him off to the door. 

Sam chuckles once more as she pushes him off and exits the room. He was glad to see her in such a good mood. There were times when she tended to be moody and upset due to the pregnancy but today was thankfully not one of those days.

Once settled on the couch, Diane was out like a light. Being up early in the morning with morning sickness and running around doing errands had worn her out. 

It was about an hour before she was awake again, groaning as she came to. She felt a sharp pain in her right side and knew that the baby must’ve been in an uncomfortable position.

When she sits up she’s greeted by the sight of Sam. Though he wasn’t just sitting at his desk like usual. He was pacing around the room, rubbing his hand on his forehead as he quietly asked himself what he was going to do. 

“Sam?” She questions as she watches him. He seemed to be very worried about something that was going on. 

The pacing doesn’t stop though so she slowly pulls herself off the couch and walks over toward him. Diane presses a hand to his arm and stops him. “What’s going on? Are you alright?”

She didn’t think she had ever seen him so stressed before. Something bad must’ve happened while she was slumbering. 

Sam looks at her for a minute, eyes filled with worry. How was he supposed to tell her about this? It wasn’t like something absolutely awful happened but it was unexpected and caught him completely off guard.

“Sam... talk to me” she insists and presses a hand against his cheek. He still hadn’t uttered a word. This was making her begin to worry the worst.

He finally takes a deep breath and looks down at her, “Follow me.”

Her husband then leads her over to the door and slightly opens it enough for the two of them to peek out. “You see those two sitting near Frasier?”

Diane glances over and sees a short brunette woman and a taller black haired man. They were sitting in front of the bar just a few seats down from Frasier. They were both dressed as any other person in the bar. Regular clothing and all and looked normal. Why was he freaking out?

“Yes I see them but I don’t see the problem, Sam. They look like any other customer to me” she shrugs.

To that Sam pulls his wife back into the room completely and shuts the door. “They’re not just any regulars. Those... are my parents” he says with a sigh. 

Diane’s first instinct was to be excited. She was finally going to meet the love of her life’s parents. That feeling lasts for a second as she remembers how awful they had been to him nearly his whole life. 

“Oh...oh Sam, I’m sorry” she says and suddenly wraps him up in a hug. 

This had to be hard, they never bothered to call him. Never once showing that they cared about him. She was surprised that they even knew this place existed. 

Sam doesn’t say anything for a minute as he lets her warm and comforting hug make him feel a little better. He didn’t know exactly what to say, he just didn’t want to deal with them but he knew he would have to. 

It takes him a minute to speak again, “I don’t even know how they found the place” he sighs. 

Diane looks up at him with her soft and loving eyes, “Well that part doesn’t matter much. Why don’t we go say hello to them, invite them to dinner, and we’ll get this over with. You’ll never have to speak to them again” she suggests.

He sighs as he looks down at her. Damn that loving gaze making his heart melt. She made it seem so simple. After another few moments he finally agrees, “alright lets do it.”

She steps up on her tip toes slightly and presses a kiss to his lips. Her hand finds his as she turns toward the door to lead the way out.

As they step out it dawns on her that this was the first time meeting his parents. What were they to say? Did they even know about their unborn grandson? 

Diane tried to push those thoughts away so that she could focus on making a good first impression. Even though they played no role in his life anymore she still wanted them to at least somewhat like her.

When the pair reaches the front of the bar where his parents are sitting, Sam takes a step forward and speaks up. “Mom, Dad there’s someone I’d like you to meet” he states outright. 

She gives him a squeeze of encouragement as they stand together still holding hands. The older couple turns around and looks at their son before glancing at her. 

Diane was suddenly filled with nerves, she already felt as though they were judging her and noticing every little thing she did. Taking note of the way she moved and looked around. How she would introduce herself. All of it.

“Hello, it’s very nice to meet both of you. I’m Diane.. Sam’s wife” she says gracefully with a smile. Diane then sticks out a hand and shakes his father’s first then his mother’s.

“Ah yes Sam mentioned he was married. Of course it wasn’t until after the wedding. Leave it to him to not to think of inviting his life givers” a cold voice comes from his mother. 

That sets Diane back, not expecting to hear something like that from someone’s parents. People who were supposed to love him and not patronize him. “Oh no no I think you’re mistaken. We had a very small wedding, just friends were there. You see.. we were planning something bigger but we became too anxious to tie the knot so we went ahead with the ceremony” Diane explains.

Her hand then moves from his and wraps around his waist, looking up at him with a smile. God she hoped they could get through this without anymore comments like that. 

On the outside, Sam was calm and collected but inside he was fuming. He was fed up with his parents treating him this way. It made him feel worthless, like an idiot and he damn well knew that he wasn’t.

Sam grits his teeth and finally speaks up again, “I’m sorry I didn’t invite you. Poor planning on my part” he tries to explain. 

“Oh it’s alright” his father begins and looks over at Diane again. He looks down and notices the rather prominent bump. “Ah I see you’re with child. I hope that’s not why you jumped the gun on the wedding” he remarks with a raised brow.

The anger was boiling up inside of her now. She was not about to let them continue to insult their relationship and certainly not their child. Her hand comes out from Sam’s waist and she points her finger at his father, “Now listen here buster, Sam and I love each other very much. We decided to get married when we wanted to. It was not because I was pregnant. Don’t you dare try to insinuate that I don’t love him, that’s the farthest thing from the truth. And you know what? I don’t appreciate you inferring that he’s so stupid that he can’t even think to invite you. None of our family was there” she scolds. 

Sam reaches over toward her and gently touches her arm so that she’ll bring it down. “Diane..” he says calmly. His voice makes her racing mind stop for a second and she brings her hand down again. 

Sam then gently turns her toward him again and looks down at her. “I love you and I appreciate you sticking up for me and for us but I’ll handle it okay?” 

The blonde looks up at him, noticing the hurt in his eyes. She feels a strike in her chest, Diane hated seeing him upset. She knew it wasn’t with her though. Her face softens a little and she nods. She then leans up and presses a kiss to his cheek and whispers in his ear that she was sorry. Though as good as it felt, Diane knew the outburst against his father like that was uncalled for. 

Diane then steps away and walks over to the office again. Once inside, she grabs her purse off his desk and her jacket. It was best if she left and cooled down at their house. Where she could be alone. 

As she heads back in front of the bar again, she comes to her husband and gives him a quick hug. It was her hope that reassured him he could get through this. With that, Diane walks over toward the door and walks out. She couldn’t wait until she got home. 

It was a couple hours later and Diane was in the kitchen making tea for her and hopefully if he was home in the next hour, Sam as well. She could only imagine how things went with his parents. She hoped that it wasn’t as bad as she thought. 

Moments later, the front door to their home opens and Sam steps in. He lets out a sigh as his jacket falls off his arms, he was mentally and physically exhausted. 

Thankfully he didn’t always have to be the one to run the bar and that meant he could leave whenever he wanted. Woody and Carla had it held down and that meant he could go to sleep and forget about today. 

Diane hears the door open and she quickly comes from the kitchen and to the foyer. There Sam was standing, hanging up his coat. She could only see half of his face but she could tell he looked drained.

Walking over to him, her arms come around his waist to greet him with a hug. He wasn’t saying anything at first— just taking in the hug and holding her in return. 

“Are you alright?” her soft and gentle voice questions. 

Another sigh comes from him as he holds her as close as he can, “I will be. I think I just need some time to myself” he whispers.

Pulling away she looks up at him and nods, “okay.. I’ll be in the kitchen if you need anything” she whispers.

Sam nods and moves away from his wife. He felt bad for not wanting to be with her but he didn’t want to talk. He didn’t want to remember today’s events at all. God what he would do for a drink. He wouldn’t do that though, he couldn’t put her nor himself through a relapse. 

Shaking his head, he walks up stairs upstairs and makes way to their entertainment room. It had a long and cozy grey couch along with a television and a whole stack of movies in it.

Usually they spent Saturday nights in here watching movies or... not so much watching movies. Some of his favorite memories lived in this room. Perhaps that was why he came in here for comfort.

That and he thought maybe a baseball game could distract him for a little while. Settling down on the couch, he wraps up in and blanket and turns on a game. 

In the kitchen once more, Diane sighs as she sits at the counter reading her book. She wanted to do something for Sam. She felt so bad that he had to deal with his parents. She couldn’t even imagine what he was going through. 

Once the tea is done, she pours a cup for herself and him. She grabs a tray and sets his cup on it before grabbing a notepad. She quickly scribbles down a short but sweet poem on it hoping he’d feel a little better from it. She always tried to use poems to make him feel better or loved. 

Diane then walks upstairs to their bedroom first to change out of her dress and into a nightgown. She thought maybe a bit of a showy nightgown would be something he’d appreciate. It wasn’t so they’d have sex but just to give him a small treat to uplift his spirits.

Finally, she walks out and over to their entertainment room. Gently tapping on the door, Diane walks in with the tray resting above her bump. The nightgown she had on was lavender and had a lacy design across her breasts. The gown itself was a bit sheer and that was just the way he liked it. 

“Knock knock” she says as she steps into the room. Sam was laying on the couch, his whole body wrapped up in a blanket like he was in a burrito. 

Diane walks in a little further and notices from the light on the television that his expression was lackluster. The shine from his beautiful steel blue eyes no longer there. His face was pale, drained of life. God it hurt her soul to see him this upset. 

The blonde brings the tray to the table in front of the couch and gently sets it down. She then walks over to the couch and kneels down slowly in front of him. “Sammykins, I made you some tea” she murmurs as she looks down at him, her hand brushing his hair back gently.

His eyes finally leave the television and he looks over at her, “oh.. thank you” he murmurs in return. 

A sigh comes from her, unsure of what to do. Diane then leans down and presses a kiss to his forehead. Her hand then comes to his cheek and she pouts. She wished his parents had never shown up. 

Diane slowly and gently pulls herself up off of the floor and presses a hand to her belly as she begins to leave. She wanted to stay but she figured it was best to continue to abide by his wish to be left alone.

Though as she begins to open the door she hears, “please... stay..” his voice slightly cracks as he begs her to stay. He sounded different. Even his voice was drained of life.

Hearing him like that, seeing him like this, it wounded her. She looks down and feels her eyes fill with tears. Diane knew it was stupid to feel upset when he was the one who was hurt by his own flesh and blood. She didn’t need to act like this but seeing the man she loved so dearly so broken felt like she was being stabbed a thousand times. 

She quickly collects herself, knowing it was best to keep herself together to be there for him. That’s what he needed, someone to be there for him. She wipes her eyes quickly and turns back around, returning to the couch. 

Sam finally moves from laying on his side and sits up again. His hands come out of the blanket and he goes to reach for the tray. Hoping that maybe the tea and her company would make him feel better. 

Diane takes note of his movement and grabs the tray for him, handing it over as she goes to take a seat. 

A quiet thank you comes from her husband and he grabs the handle of the tea cup. 

As he begins to slowly sip, she moves closer to him on the couch and puts an arm around his shoulders. Diane doesn’t say a word as he quietly drinks. 

She watches as he read the poem and notices him slightly smile. Her poems were always so sweet and even though he didn’t always understand them they made him feel better and full of love. 

Several minutes later after the tray has been returned to the table and silence has filled the air again, Sam finally decides to speak. “I’m.. I’m sorry for the way they treated you. How they made our marriage seem like sham” he whispers. 

He felt worthless, like a disappointment. Not only to his parents or Diane, but to himself. He should’ve done better in life. Should’ve stayed in school and gotten a nice job. He should’ve never gone to the bigs and he never ever should’ve become a drunk. Everyone including his parents, saw him as an idiot. He always knew that in the back of his mind but having the two people who were supposed to be some of his biggest supporters in life prove that to him broke him.

Sam hated thinking that he was broken and he hated letting himself focus on these feelings. He had ignored them most of his life so why couldn’t he do it now?

Maybe this time was different. He had always been shown in different ways through how his parents acted that he was a disappointment but they had confirmed it today. It wasn’t said aloud but the words used against him and against the only person who actually gave a damn about his well-being confirmed it.

Sam felt numb almost, like all emotions had left his body. He’d never wish this feeling on his worst enemy. It was one of the worst he had ever felt. 

Diane looks over at him and shakes her head, “you have nothing to apologize for my love. You are not responsible for their actions” she assures. 

Sam lets out a sigh and looks down. He sure felt responsible for their actions. They were his parents and them acting like that made him look bad. At least in his mind it did. 

She moves even closer than she already was to him and takes his hand in her own. “I know you don’t really like to talk about how you’re feeling... and usually I would advocate for you to get it all out there but, I won’t force you. Just know that I’m here to listen. I hope by now you know I’d never judge” she assures.

The blonde then leans in and presses a gentle kiss to his cheek before resting her head down on his shoulder. If she was honest, she expected him not to talk about it. 

Though he was a lot more open with her than he was at the very start of their relationship this was something he never really liked to talk about. It was understandable. Diane never wanted to talk about her family problems either. They both had rough histories with family and neither wanted to even think about it. 

The room grows silent again and as the two sit there, Diane mindlessly plays with his fingers. 

Sam wanted to talk about how he felt but he found himself struggling to put it into words. Instead, he decides to stay sitting with his wife holding him. It brought him more comfort than anything ever could.

**Author's Note:**

> Another angsty one sorry y’all lol. I do have a fluffy idea I want to write so maybe that’ll be next. As always I hope you enjoyed the story and reviews/kudos are always welcome!


End file.
